


Fearless

by Lily_Ann_Dreyar



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Dancing in the Rain, Developing Relationship, Epic Friendship, Female Friendship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Grocery Store, Identity Reveal, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Mischief, OT4, Platonic Relationships, Secret Identity, Song Lyrics, Song: Fearless (Taylor Swift), screaming into the void
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:26:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27484213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily_Ann_Dreyar/pseuds/Lily_Ann_Dreyar
Summary: Adrien's friends sneak him out of a school dance for some "real teenager life" opportunities. These opportunities may or may not include dancing in the rain, riding in a grocery cart, hide-and-seek in a grocery store, and screaming into the void.Taylor Swift's "Fearless" plays in the background.This is nothing but some good, wholesome fun that is slightly fanfic crack but is also actually based on a personal experience of my own.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 23
Kudos: 74





	1. Friendship & Adrenaline: Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know if French schools have school dances like American high schools do. My experience is entirely based on my very Midwest American upbringing, so that's what this resembles. Francois Dupont High School doesn't seem to have a gymnasium in the show, but for the sake of suspension of disbelief, please imagine with me that they do.

_You take my hand and drag me head first, Fearless…_

Music pulsed and echoed down the dark hallway, muffled by walls and distance. Under the sound of the music, whispered voices filtered through the darkness as four students made their way quietly past empty classrooms. 

“How much farther do we have to go?"

“I think we’re almost there.” 

“Why are we sneaking out this way again?” 

“Because Nathalie and the Gorilla are guarding the front doors and Adrien needs to live a real teenager’s life before we graduate in two months and so we are going to give him that chance if we have to make the opportunity ourselves!”

The first three voices shushed the fourth and Marinette pressed a hand against Alya’s mouth. 

“I still don’t get why we have to sneak all the way to the back of the school,” Nino said quietly. “There’s enough students gathered in the gym that if we snuck out a side door and got caught there we could just say we were taking a breather. If we get caught here there’s no excuse.”

“But we’re less likely to get caught this far from the gym than if we’d stayed closer,” Adrien pointed out. He turned to Marinette and asked quietly, “but how close is almost? We’ve got to be near a back door by now.”

Marinette’s head swiveled around in the darkness as she took in their surroundings. “There’s an exterior door around the next corner to the left. That should get us to the alleyway on the east side of the school.” She lifted the hem of her long red dress and took the lead, stepping lightly on her toes so her heels didn’t clack on the tile floor. The others tiptoed along behind her, with Nino bringing up the rear and glancing over his shoulder every two steps. Finally, Alya grabbed his hand and yanked him forward, forcing him to speed up.

Eventually they made it to the exterior door. Marinette double-checked to make sure it wouldn’t trigger an alarm. Luckily, as the class representative, she had been gifted with the inside knowledge that the door alarm system had been temporarily disabled, since the exterior doors near the front were propped open to help air circulate through the hot gymnasium during the dance. She pushed the door open slowly, listening for any creaking that may give them away. Thankfully the door seemed well-oiled and it swung open with only a quiet squeak. She held the door for her friends as they filed out. 

Adrien’s grin on his way through warmed her heart. She had long since given up on her crush and begun the slow process of getting past it, but he was still her friend. And it was a very handsome smile. 

They stood together in the alleyway. Adrien looked around at his friends and shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, we snuck out of the dance. Now what?”

Nino slung his arm around Adrien’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Now, my dude, we go have some fun. I know just the place.” 

The cloudy sky above them rumbled as the four friends made their way down the alley and away from the school.

_And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there,_

_in the middle of the parking lot…_


	2. Friendship & Adrenaline: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Few things in life beat dancing in the rain with one of your best friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some extra notes on their outfits:  
> Alya’s Dress: https://www.victoriasqueen.com/pleated-jade-formal-dress-with-gold-appliques-3182.html
> 
> Marinette’s Dress: This one, but with longer bell sleeves and a less detailed top: https://www.jjshouse.com/A-Line-Off-The-Shoulder-Asymmetrical-Tulle-Cocktail-Dress-With-Beading-Sequins-Bow-S-016233294-g233294/?utm_term=233294&utm_size=06&ggsub=pl&ggntk=u&ggcid=456145431547&ggkey=&ggpos=&ggdev=c&ggdevm=&ggplm=&ggtgt=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwMP9BRCzARIsAPWTJ_EoQfPFwioKBOAAJ1IuCshp6V1d-Sqrn2beJuqrR6qcj6pGJSH1F9MaArjvEALw_wcB
> 
> Nino is wearing a basic suit but in gray and with a black bowtie, Adrien’s is black with a gray tie. And yes, the boys matched on purpose.

_And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there,_

_in the middle of the parking lot…_

  
  


It began raining about the time they stepped onto the parking lot of a local grocery store that was a 10-minute walk from Françoise Dupont High School. The streetlamps had turned on in the dimming twilight behind the clouds. Light glinted off puddles and wet asphalt. Alya rushed in front of her friends and made a mad dash for one of the overhangs that housed the shopping carts, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm in her sleeveless jade green dress. The gold sequins Marinette had sewn onto the bodice and collar of the dress shimmered in the lamplight as the girl shivered. 

Marinette laughed. “What’s wrong, Alya, scared of a little water?”

“Girl, you of all people know how long it took me to do my hair for tonight. We may have ditched the dance, but I am definitely not letting all this hard work go to waste!” Alya theatrically swept a hand under the bouncy curls that had taken her and her best friend two hours and half a can of hairspray to create. 

The others all laughed as the boys joined Alya in her shelter. Nino removed his gray suit jacket and wrapped it around Alya’s shoulders. She pulled it tight and smiled at him gratefully. He leaned in close and rubbed her back, adding a little of his body heat to hers.

Meanwhile, Marinette raised her arms and her face toward the sky and spun around slowly, enjoying the feel of the warm spring rain on her skin. Her hair was half-up in a bun and the hair falling down to her shoulders now clung to her neck in wet clumps. She smiled as she spun again and reached an open hand toward her friends. “Anyone care to dance in the rain with me?” 

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously and muttered something about his father and not wanting to get his suit soaked, but Nino came right out, arms spreading wide as rain dripped onto his shoulders. “Sure, Mariniette, I’ll take you up on that.” He grabbed her open hand and twirled her around. Marinette giggled and grabbed his shoulder as she came around to face him again, his other hand holding her just above the hips. 

“Go like this,” he said, “Left, right, left, left. Then step right, left, right, right.” He gradually turned her as they danced and together they rotated gently in the drizzle. Marinette’s layered red satin skirts swirled around her legs as he twirled her again. The long bell-shaped sleeves flew out from her shoulders and extended, spraying Nino with water. He pulled his hands up to cover his face and laughed. 

“We should head inside,” Alya called nervously, “I don’t want any of us to catch pneumonia!”

“Sure thing,” Nino responded. He let go of Marinette, who continued to twirl on her own with her arms and skirts flung wide. Then Nino’s eye caught something and he grinned in a way that Marinette almost considered conspiratorial. Nino waved at the other boy still hiding under the overhang with Alya. “Yo Adrien! Come here, dude, I’ve got an idea!”

  
  


_There's somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained…_


	3. Friendship & Adrenaline: Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friendly little game of hide-and-seek becomes more dramatic when you're secretly a superhero...

_ There's somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained… _

“WAHOOOOOO!!” Adrien crouched inside a grocery cart with his blonde hair streaming out and his tie flapping over his shoulder in the wind. His hands clutched desperately at the sides of the cart. Nino’s white-knucked hands held the cart handle as he ran behind, pushing Adrien as fast as he could go. With a final pump of his legs, Nino leapt onto the back of the cart and hollered along with Adrien as they zipped across the parking lot toward the grocery store entrance. Water splashed out around them as the wheels ran through puddles at breakneck speed.

“How did we ever end up with such wack-a-doodles for friends?” Alya asked Marinette as they walked along behind the boys, carrying their heels and splashing their bare feet through puddles on their way.

“I have no clue, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.” Marinette pulled Adrien’s black suit coat tighter around herself as they got blasted by air when the store’s automatic doors opened. 

They heard the boys store the cart outside, then more air blasted by as the doors opened again.

“What do we do now?” Adrien asked, shaking his hair like a dog and splattering the girls with rain water. They shrieked and he grinned. “What else do I get in my -- how did Alya phrase it? -- ‘opportunity for a real teenager’s life’ or something like that?”

Alya looked around the store, then lifted her eyebrows and asked, “How about a game of hide-and-seek?”

“In a grocery store?” Marinette asked. “Where would we hide?”

“Okay, so it’d be more like avoid-and-evade,” Alya admitted. “That could still be fun.” 

“I’m game,” Nino said, brushing his hands through his own short hair. He undid his black bowtie and tucked the wet cloth in his pocket. “It’ll give us a chance to dry off a bit and hope the rain stops before we have to head back. What time is it, anyway?”

Alya checked her phone. “It’s almost seven. The dance opened at five-thirty and we left at about six-fifteen. We shouldn’t stay too long if we want to be back by the time the dance ends at eight.”

“Yeah,” Adrien agreed. “We should probably try to get back a little before then. Nathalie and Gorilla will probably come looking for me before it’s actually over to make sure I get home on time.” 

Marinette did some quick mental math as she gazed around at the produce in the front of the store. “So, we want to get back before eight and it’s about a ten minute walk back to school, plus we have to sneak back in.” She turned back to her friends. “We should probably make sure we’re leaving in like thirty or forty minutes. That’s plenty of time for a game.” 

She smiled sweetly and offered Adrien his jacket back, holding it out in between them. He cocked his head in confusion but reached out to take it. Just before his hand touched the fabric, she yanked it back with a fiercer, wicked smile, then flung it over his head. 

“Hey!” Adrien shouted, grabbing at the fabric for a second before pulling it away from his head to see a confused Nino reaching up to help him. They turned just in time to see Alya and Marinette zip around the corner of an isle a few feet away, their bare feet slapping the store’s cold tile floor and shoes clutched tightly in their hands.

Nino clapped him on the shoulder, then took off after the girls. “Come on, dude, let’s get ‘em!”

Adrien pulled his jacket on and took off after his friends, laughing with glee.

_ And I don't know how it gets better than this,  _

_ you take my hand and drag me head first, Fearless! _


	4. Friendship & Adrenaline: Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Alya are the ultimate hide-and-seek champions of Paris.  
> Adrien learns how cathartic it is to scream into the void with friends.  
> Nino has to be the mom friend who gets them all home on time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving!  
> I'm thankful for writing as my favorite form of procrastination, and for this super paw-some show. Also for readers!  
> But really, thanks. Enjoy!  
> ~Lily

_ And I don't know how it gets better than this,  _

_ you take my hand and drag me head first, Fearless! _

  
  


“How long do you think it’ll take them to find us?”

“Our boys? Girl, we might be here for a while. I love them to death, but when they’re in the same room they only share a single brain cell.”

Marinette giggled. She and Alya had snuck around the grocery store for several minutes, playing what had become some strange combination of hide-and-seek and tag with Nino and Adrien in the grocery store isles. The boys had almost caught them several times, using their longer legs to their advantage, but Alya was sneaky and Marinette was quick and they always got away. When they had managed to hide well enough near the front of the store that it seemed the boys wouldn’t immediately find them, Marinette had grabbed Alya’s wrist and pulled her outside. 

Now, they huddled together in the shadows under the eaves in front of the building with Nino’s suit jacket wrapped haphazardly around them both. The rain had stopped, but dark clouds remained, covering the setting sun and casting an eerie light over the sky. The brisk evening air chilled their dresses and Marinette’s hair, still damp from the group’s earlier excursion in the rain. They had even put their shoes back on to keep their wet feet off the cold pavement.

Beside them the store’s automatic doors slid open and Nino’s voice reached their ears. Unconsciously the two girls pulled closer together, eyes wide and listening with rapt attention. 

“--need a quick breather,” Nino was saying, “and then I’ll be ready to hunt them down again. Wherever they got to, it’s a dang good hiding spot this time, dude.” 

The two boys stopped a few feet in front of the doors, facing the parking lot and with their backs to Alya and Marinette. 

“I’ve got it!” Adrien bounced on the balls of his feet and grabbed Nino’s shoulder. “Let’s hide out here for a while and make them come find us!”

“I don’t know, dude,” Nino said slowly. “It’s still pretty chilly, and Alya has my jacket.

“We’ll share mine,” Adrien said, beginning to turn. “Maybe we can huddle here by the door and…” His voice trailed off as he noticed the two girls doing the exact thing he had been suggesting and he froze, one hand still reaching out toward Nino. 

Nino turned to see what had caught his friend’s attention and groaned. “You have got to be kidding me!” 

Marinette and Alya turned their faces toward each other, sharing a look of disbelief. A slow smile spread over Marinette’s face and Alya broke out into an enormous grin. They looked back at the boys, Nino’s face twisted in exasperation and Adrien’s eyes still wide with surprise, and broke into a fit of giggles. Each girl bent at the waist and grabbed her belly, laughter pouring out until the boys couldn’t help but join them. Adrien tossed his head back as he laughed and Nino crouched, head in his hands as he chuckled. 

When Nino stood, he pointed an accusing finger at the girls. “Alya, this had to be your idea. Sneaky Miss Reporter just had to get the upper hand.” 

Alya struggled for breath through her laughter then practically screamed at Nino, “Shows what you know! This was all Marinette!” Her high-pitched breathless voice came out like a screech, echoing off the brick walls of the store behind her. 

“WHAT?!” Nino shouted back, matching Alya’s energy. “Marinette’s too sweet for that!” 

“WHY ARE WE YELLING?!?” Adrien nearly screamed at them, devolving into his own fit of childish giggles. 

“BECAUSE WE ARE SCREAMING INTO THE VOID!” Marinette broke away from Alya as she shrieked and twirled around in the space between them all, nearly tripping in her heeled sandals. Adrien lurched forward to catch her. She tumbled into his arms, breathing heavily even as her shoulders shook with more laughter. 

Adrien grinned down at the ridiculous girl in his arms. “Is that what we’re calling it?” 

Marinette gathered herself on her feet and held Adrien by the shoulders. “Why don’t you give it a try? It’s very cathartic, and the most fun with friends, I can assure you. It’ll be part of your ‘real teenager’ opportunity!” She squeezed his shoulders, then leaned back, faced up into the overcast, darkening sky and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Adrien jumped, startled by the sudden noise, then laughed. He grabbed her shoulders and mimicked her movement, leaning back and raising his face to the clouds. He screamed. She screamed again in response. He screamed again. 

Nino and Alya stood by and stared. “They’re crazy,” Nino pointed out with perfect calm. 

“Absolutely insane,” Alya agreed, nodding solemnly. Their two friends clutched each other’s shoulders and screamed again, this time into each others’ faces, then dissolved into another fit of laughter. Marinette rested her head on Adrien’s chest, her shoulders shaking. He wrapped her in a hug as he continued laughing.

“Alright, you yahoos,” Nino called, “It’s time to be heading back before you two completely lose it...or the store staff call the cops on us. Alya, what time is it?” 

She checked her phone, “It’s almost eight. We’ll be cutting it a little close, but if we leave now we might get back before Nathalie and Gorilla notice Adrien had gone missing.”

Adrien straightened, draping an arm around Marinette’s shoulders. “Sounds like a plan, let’s go.” He paused as they all turned to head back to the school. “Wait, what will we tell them if they get suspicious, though? This was fun, but I don’t want you guys to get in trouble with Nathalie and Father.”

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty little blonde head about that one,” Alya said, looping her arm through Nino’s and following after Adrien and Marinette. “I’ve got a plan that should have us covered.”

_ In this moment now capture it, remember it!  _


	5. Friendship & Adrenaline: Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya has a plan for everything an Nino is along for the ride.  
> Meanwhile, Marinette and Adrien make a surprisingly good team...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't quite as lighthearted as the others, but I figured a little mischief was in order to end the night.  
> This is the final chapter of the story itself, but I have an extra epilogue that will be following soon (before Christmas, I promise!), featuring Paris's two favorite superheroes!

_ In this moment now capture it, remember it! _

  
  


They snuck in through the back door at precisely five minutes after eight. By the time they made it back to the gymnasium, it was mostly empty. Only a few remaining students milled about, assisting and chatting with faculty as they cleaned up the gym decorations. 

Near the front doors, Nathalie was pacing back and forth, speaking frantically into her cell phone. 

Alya glanced at her friends. “You guys remember the plan?” 

The others nodded. Alya had shared her idea with them on the walk back from the store and the four friends had rehearsed their story. 

“Alright then. Marinette, cue the waterworks!” Alya winked at Adrien as he wrapped his arm around Marinette’s shoulder protectively and the girl began to sniffle. Alya wrapped both of her arms around one of Nino’s and schooled her face into a solemn look. Nino copied her and rubbed his opposite hand up and down her arm as though to comfort her. They began to walk slowly toward where Nathalie paced. 

Nathalie’s eyes grew wide when she finally saw them. As they approached they heard her speak hurriedly into her phone, “Nevermind, he’s here now. Fetch the car and bring it around to the front of the building. I’ll bring him out.” She hung up and turned to Adrien when the teens stopped in front. 

Before she could say anything, Adrien spoke. “I’m sorry I’m late, Nathalie. Marinette needed some... help this evening.” He tightened his arm around Marinette, whose head was hanging low so Nathalie couldn’t see her face. She sniffled and Alya’s mouth crinkled a bit as she kept herself from smirking. 

Nathalie glanced at Marinette then turned her attention back to Adrien. Her eyebrows knit together. “What kind of help was it that took you out of the school?”

Adrien raised his own eyebrows and widened his eyes, looking like a picture of innocence. “Outside the school? We were just in one of the back hallways for a few minutes.”

Alya didn’t think it would be possible, but Nathalie’s eyebrows pushed even further together. “We’ve been looking for you for almost ten minutes, Adrien. What kind of help did your friend need?” 

Adrien smiled gently and rubbed his hand on Marinette’s shoulder. On her other side, Alya grabbed Marinette’s hand. 

“A few of the other girls here this evening, well, they said some unkind things. Marinette needed some support. We’ve been… building her back up, I guess you could say.” 

Nathalie’s face softened and she looked at Marinette again. She nodded. “That’s very good of you Adrien, but the dance is over now and I’m afraid it’s time for us to get you home, before your father starts to worry.” 

“Of course, Nathalie.” Adrien turned his back to Nathalie as he hugged Marinette. He winked at Alya and Nino over Marinette’s head. He couldn’t see her face, but he was fairly certain that Marinette’s slight trembling was actually suppressed laughter. 

As he let Marinette go, she made a show of wiping her eyes and smiling brightly at him. “Thanks for everything tonight, Adrien.”

Adrien smiled back at her, and also at Alya and Nino. “You, too, Marinette. I had a great time tonight, you guys. You all have a good weekend. I’ll see you in school on Monday!” He waved as he followed Nathalie out of the front of the school toward their car. 

Alya’s arm was suddenly around Marinette’s shoulder. Nino appeared on her other side. “Hot dang, girl. That was some brilliant acting. Have you ever considered a movie career? I think you’d be great!” 

Nino grinned at them both. “I’d go see that movie.” He checked the time on his phone. “For now, I think it’s time to head out. It’s not even nine but I’m beat. I might turn in early tonight.” 

“You know, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Marinette said, stifling a yawn and the three of them moved out the door and down the stairs of Françoise Dupont High School. “I think I might do the same.”

“Not me!” Alya pumped a fist in excitement. “Tonight was a blast! I’ve got a ton of energy and I think I’m going to do some writing on a new piece I’ve been wanting to start.” 

Nino shook his head. “She never changes, does she?”

“Never,” Marinette agreed. “She’ll probably be up all night, too. Once she gets the ball rolling she doesn’t stop until you make her. She’s a force of nature like that.” Nino and Marinette laughed. 

“Hey! I’ll go to bed eventually, I just have to get the words out of my head first. Clear the stage and all that, you know?” Alya put her hands on her hips as she defended herself, then laughed along with her friends. They all knew Marinette was right. 

“Either way, it’s time for some rest. Good night, guys.” Marinette waved with one hand as she covered another yawn with her other. She began walking in the direction of the bakery.

“Goodnight,” her friends responded.

Still smiling to themselves, the three parted ways in the dark evening. Each thought of the warm bed awaiting them at home. Thunder rumbled in the distance, threatening more rain to come later in the night.

  
  


_ And I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress, Fearless! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is actually based on some of my actual life events, which made it really easy to write. After our senior banquet at the end of my last year at my university, three friends & I weren’t quite ready to call it a night, so we went traipsing around an Illinois Kroger grocery store at like 1 o’clock in the morning in our formal wear. A guy friend & I danced in the rain, the two boys pushed each other in a shopping cart, & the four of us played hide-&-seek inside the store until the boys ditched us and hid outside. It’s one of my most treasured memories mostly because, while it was a group of 2 girls & 2 guys, none of us were dates & we were all single & it was & a great night with some of my favorite humans. I also love the Miraculous quartet of friends & I want so much happiness for them, so I thought I’d gift them one of my happiest memories. None of this is meant to be romantic because my experience was completely platonic, but you’re welcome to read any of your favorite ships into this, as is your prerogative as a reader. :) The song Fearless has always reminded me of that night mostly because of the dancing in the rain part but also because the whole song has a beautifully whimsical quality to it that I love.
> 
> May you also find joy & friendship & laughter wherever life leads you.  
> Love from a social distance,  
> ~ Lily


	6. Epilogue: Shall We Dance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paris's favorite superheroes dance in the rain...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! Today is my birthday and Christmas is on the way, so happy birthday to me and Joyeux Noel to you!   
> (Or, may you have a joyful holiday season, whatever it is you celebrate!)
> 
> I'm not new to fandoms or writing, but I am relatively new to writing fanfiction. I enjoy writing fluffy things and/or relationship-focused pieces and I'm not good at angst. If anyone has prompt ideas you'd like to see me try, I'd be more than happy to give it a whirl! 
> 
> Enjoy! ...and thank you for reading.

_ There's somethin' 'bout the way the street looks when it's just rained _

_ There's a glow off the pavement, you walk me to the car. _

_ And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there, in the middle of the parking lot. Yeah! _

“Pound it!”

Ladybug rested her hands on her hips after their fist bump. Rain poured around her in the darkness as she examined the recently-repaired-by-magic rooftops of Paris. Street lamps cast an eerie glow over the roads, lighting up like fireflies in the darkness. The police were escorting Hawk Moth’s latest victim home and she and Chat Noir actually had a few spare minutes. She looked over at her partner and asked, "Well, what now?"

Beside her, a soaking wet Chat Noir grinned as he dripped onto the shingles below them. "Well, Milady, since I didn't have to use Cataclysm in this battle and you had the chance to recharge after using your Lucky Charm, it seems to me that we have some free time on our paws, for once."

"You're the only one of us with anything resembling paws," she remarked. "And what do you suggest we do with our free time? It’s 2am and raining, well, cats and dogs.”

“Hey!”

Ladybug sighed and allowed her shoulders to slump down. She was beginning to notice exhaustion creeping into her bones. “Look, Chat, I've already had a long night, ...and that was before I managed to change out of my dress." She rolled her eyes as she mumbled the last part under her breath, remembering how the satin bodice of her hand-sewn dress had been wrinkled from the unexpected abuse of her evening. The fabric had caught on the zipper when she tried to take it off, resulting in nearly twenty frustrating minutes of trying to extract herself from the dress on her own. Finally, she had called for Mama and asked her to just cut her daughter out of it and she would repair the gown later. She was most proud of the voluminous skirts and flowy bell sleeves, anyway, and a busted zipper was easy enough to fix. She sighed and shook her head. “Really, kitty, it’s late. Maybe we should both just go home.” 

A hand caught hers as she began to turn away. “Please? Stay for just a little bit. We get so little time outside akuma attacks. Don’t you want to spend some time together?”

Blue eyes met green as she turned to face him. Honestly, how could she say no? For a cat he made darn good puppy eyes, drat him. But she was still grumpy about it. She sighed again, letting the fight fall out of her. “Fine. But what would you have us do in the middle of the night in a downpour?”

The boy before her bowed dramatically, then stood and swept his wet hair back from his masked face. “The rain isn’t that cold, and we have our suits to protect us anyway, so…” He held out a hand toward her, palm turned up. “The best activity to do in the rain is dance.”

She smiled and took his hand, placing her other on his shoulder. His opposite hand rested gently on her waist and they began to slowly sway side to side. “Alright, kitty, but do you even know how to dance?” 

“I’ve learned a few things. My father insisted I learn a little bit of ballroom, but most of what I know is for certain types of music. I’m not quite sure what to do with no music but the beat of the rain drops.”

“Well aren’t we poetic. If you don’t mind letting me lead, I have some moves a friend taught me last time I danced in the rain.”

“I’d follow your lead anywhere, Milady.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored his comment. “Okay, go like this,” she said, pulling on his hands to move him the right direction. “You step right, left, right, right. Then go left, right, left left.” He gradually turned her as they danced and together they rotated gently in the drizzle. 

_ This seems familiar,  _ Chat thought, remembering his adventures from earlier this same evening.  _ It must be a coincidence, though. It could just be a very simple, very well-known dance.  _ They continued like that for a calm moment, silently turning as drops dripped down on the rooftops around them. 

“I have an idea,” Chat said as they continued to step and spin. “Dancing is the best thing to do in the rain, but do you know the best thing to do in the dark?”

His partner raised her eyebrows skeptically. “No, what?”

“Scream into the void! You may have danced in the rain before, but earlier today I had a friend introduce me to the incredibly cathartic exercise of screaming into the void. It’s the most fun with friends, I can assure you.”

Her heart rate was suddenly speeding.  _ It can’t be, _ Ladybug thought.  _ It has to be a coincidence, it just has to be. _ But now her mind was racing along with her heart.

He took her unusual quiet and the new stiffness in her arms for hesitation and decided to change the subject. “I guess we wouldn’t want to wake up the resting Parisians we just rescued from Hawk Moth, though, would we? In any case, how’s my dancing?”

She decided to take a risk. “Well, I just learned these moves earlier this evening so, in my very limited experience, you’re doing quite well.”

Chat Noir cocked his head to one side, eyes unusually narrow “...What were you doing today that had you dancing in the rain?”

“I think I’ll keep the details to myself, at least for now,” she teased with a small smile.

“Alright then, how about this? I have another idea. There’s a grocery store not far from here that I’ve been to recently. Would you be up for a game of hide-and-seek?”

Crap. Now she was almost certain. She had a fifty-fifty chance at this point, and only one of them was likely to know ballroom dancing because of a strict father ...and was also blonde. She kept going. “In a grocery store?” Ladybug asked, looking up into his eyes, “Where would we hide?”

She heard his breath catch and he chuckled nervously. “Okay, so it’d be more like avoid-and-evade,” he admitted with a shrug. “That could still be fun.” He didn’t seem to notice that his feet had stopped moving and his voice had grown soft. She stopped moving her feet to match him, though their hands still held each other in a dancing position. 

Ladybug looked over at their joined hands, then took a deep breath.  _ We’re already here, _ she thought.  _ Might as well take the plunge we both know is coming. _

“I’m game,” she said, smiling up into his very wide, very green eyes. “But don’t be surprised if I sneak outside again while you scour the aisles in search of me before coming outside for a breather.”

For a moment, it seemed like he had stopped breathing. 

“Marinette?” he finally whispered, squeezing her hand.

She smiled even wider than before and squeezed his hand in return. “Hello, Adrien.”

Neither of them knew who moved into the hug first. Then again, neither of them really cared.

  
  


_ And I don't know how it gets better than this, you take my hand and drag me head first, Fearless! _

_ And I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress, Fearless! _


End file.
